The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how linguistic resources are used in the ideological construction of intimate relationships in Japanese romance novels. Specifically this paper focuses on address/reference terms used in such novels from the early 2000s and considers how characters choose one form from among several choices. The Japanese language includes a variety of address and personal reference forms, and choosing one among them has implications beyond simple individuation of a person addressed or referred to. This paper traces the selection process and its relationship to shifts in characters’ intimacy with each other. Along with choice of address/reference terms, this paper investigates expressions of anxiety connected with choice of address/reference terms, which stand out in contemporary romance novels. Finally, this paper discusses the importance of ritual surrounding address/reference terms, and argues that ritual closeness and descriptions of oppressed feelings are two sides of the same coin, namely the psychological instability that results from a paradigm shift in intimate relationships. (127)
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